* Oluwatosin Awoleye won the girls championship 800 in a blistering new PR on Sunday at adidas Outdoor Nationals
Photo Credit: Josh Brown/MileSplit
GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The Instagram comment, in a certain context, wasn't far off.
"I thought that was ATHING MU..."
If you squinted hard enough on Sunday, the outline of Oluwatosin Awoleye in the championship girls 800m at adidas Outdoor Nationals looked awfully like the high school version of the generational figure who is among the World's best right now at the half mile.
That wasn't the only reason, though.
When Awoleye, a high school sophomore from South Cobb (GA) High School, crossed the finish line in a new career best time of 2:06.15, capturing a new sophomore No. 1 time and a U.S. No. 13 mark, she also wasn't far off from Mu's marks as a second-year athlete, either.
Back in 2018, Mu, the defending Olympic and World champion, clocked a season best of 2:04.51, though her second and third best times were 2:06.97 and 2:07.21, respectively.
Oluwatosin, a young runner out of Georgia who had never been to a national championship meet before this weekend, had run 2:07.43 and 2:08.28 previously.
Sunday's performance certainly proved something.
Oluwatosin's ceiling is still growing.
"I just told myself," Awoleye said, "'The last 200m, I wanted to come here faster.' By the time I saw that last 200m, I told myself 'I have to go. I have to push myself.' And that's what I did."
High school track and field is often looked at as an island of potential.
First and second-year athletes are only indications of who they'll be as 17- and 18-year-olds. Sometimes, however, you can't hold back talent.
Oluwatosin ran her first 800m in 2020. She ran the distance seven times in 2021 and 13 more in 2022. This year, she's broken 2:10 a total of eight times out of 10. She's only run the 400m and 800m.
What's more telling, though, is that Oluwatosin even-split her championship race on Sunday, meaning that she ran back-to-back 63-second laps.
That level of steadiness and maintenance from a middle-distance runner is rarely seen, especially at such high levels of performance.
"When I got to the 350 meter mark, that's when I started going," said Oluwatosin, who's coached by her father. "I told myself, 'Tosin, you can do this. God is with you.' That's what happened."
With two years left on her high school career, time is on the Georgia athlete's side. Just a year after Mu ran a best of 2:04 as a sophomore, she cleared 2:01 as a junior.
But that also means the work is only beginning for Oluwatosin.
Mu's versatility was a big indicator of her success: She ran the 200m, 400m, 800m, 1,500m and even the 3K as a youth athlete.
If nothing else, this could mean an inflection point for Oluwatosin.
What's next, that's only for her to decide.
"(I told myself) this last race has to be good," she said. "You can't come out here, drive seven hours and not perform the way you wanted to. I'm glad I did."
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Photo Cedit: Josh Brown/MileSplit
